


The Paddle Ball Incident

by crownemoji



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: M/M, anyway heres wonderwall, its ... kind of a bit sad ? at first ? i dont fuckin know dude, uhhh idk how to tag this [nervous beeping]
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-08
Updated: 2016-08-08
Packaged: 2018-08-07 08:59:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,063
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7708945
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/crownemoji/pseuds/crownemoji
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"Please put that thing away," Grillby sighed, but his quiet voice was drowned out by the "thud-thud-thud" of the paddle ball Sans had been playing with for the past hour.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Paddle Ball Incident

"Please put that thing away," Grillby sighed, but his quiet voice was drowned out by the _thud-thud-thud_ of the paddle ball Sans had been playing with for the past hour. Sans leaned back, eyes closed as he lazily whacked the little rubber ball.

"i don't know what you're talking about," Sans drawled, every syllable punctuated by a dull thump. Grillby ran a hand down his face in exasperation, almost knocking off his glasses in the process, before reaching out and tearing the paddle ball out of Sans's hand. Within moments, it was enveloped in flames, and Sans watched in mixed horror and fascination as it was reduced to white ash.

Grillby opened his hand, dropping the ash in a neat pile onto the bartop.

"uh. ok. or i guess you could do that," Sans coughed as the bartender swept the remnants of the paddle ball onto the floor. "can i get a whiskey?"

He watched in silence as Grillby swiftly grabbed a glass and a bottle, pouring the amber liquid with practiced ease, before sliding it towards Sans. Sans immediately pushed it back towards the bartender, which caused Grillby to tilt his head in confusion.

"you've been acting like a real ash-hole lately. tell me what's up."

"Sans, I can't drink while I'm working," Grillby hissed, flickering with annoyance. "Are you aware that I have customers who actually pay for their meals to serve? You're wasting my time."

"see?" Sans blurted, throwing his hands up in exasperation. "this is exactly what i'm talking about. c'mon, kid. we're friends, right? you can tell me about it."

"I'm _older_ than y--" Grillby cut himself off, dimming slightly. He pinched the vague location where the bridge of his nose would be, gathering his thoughts, before huffing quietly. "My ex wife gained sole custody of my daughter yesterday. I don't know when I'll be able to see her again."

Oh.

"oh," Sans said. That.... was pretty serious. He was expecting something like, "I checked the weather and it's supposed to rain all weekend" or "my refrigerator's broken and I really really hate the repair guy." Wait. Grillby had a daughter? Now that he thought about it, he _had_ seen a fairly young-looking fire elemental in Hotland --

""Oh?"" Grillby echoed, narrowing his eyes. "Is that really all you have to say?"

"uh." Sans felt a bead of sweat roll down the side of his face. What was he supposed to say? He wasn't equipped to handle a situation like this. Instead, he stared at Grillby, jaw slack as he struggled to find something to say. Grillby flared brighter and hotter the longer the silence dragged on, running his fingers through his flames exasperatedly. Sans, in a panic, blurted out the first thing that came to mind:

"guess things with your wife went up in flames?"

_Fuck._

Grillby slammed his hands down on the bartop as hard as he could. The restaurant instantly fell silent as all eyes snapped toward the bartender, some patrons turning their heads fast enough to give themselves whiplash.

Hands shaking, Grillby stepped away, firing Sans the ugliest glare he could muster considering his minimal facial features. Before Sans could say anything else, he spun on his heels, steps heavy enough to make the floorboards shake as he practically bolted for the fire escape.

"I'm taking a break," he spat as he left.

Everyone's attention shifted towards Sans, who felt embarrassed enough to cry.

Without saying anything, he lodged his hands into his pockets, threw a fistful of cash on the counter, and vanished.

 

Grillby went home early that day, opting to spend the evening binge-watching TV and feeling sorry for himself. Fucking _Sans._ He had just popped a third disc into his barely-functioning DVD player when a knock came at the door. He got up to answer it, only to freeze when he heard a flat voice say from behind the wood, "knock knock."

Grillby felt all the frustration from earlier that day flood back into him.

"Sans, I don't want to--"

"scold."

".....I don't want to talk to you," Grillby finished. Sans paused.

"you're, uh, supposed to say 'scold who'," he said hesitantly.

The door swung open. Grillby was shocked to see Sans standing before him looking genuinely guilty with a .... fistful of flowers in his hands, roots still attached. Sans was equally surprised to see Grillby in sweatpants and a stained tank top.

"the flowers were my bro's idea," Sans said before Grillby could say anything. "he said an apology doesn't really mean anything if you don't bring a gift."

"............Did you take those from my neighbor's garden?" Grillby asked, forgetting his irritation at the skeleton for a brief moment.

"hey, it's the thought that counts." He shrugged, letting the flowers fall to the floor. They landed in a sad pile on Grillby's doorstep. "uh. anyways, i came to apologize."

"..............................................," Grillby responded. Sans rubbed the back of his neck.

"i'm, uh, not good at, like..." Sans mumbled, sweating. "reassuring people, i guess? i mean... you know what i mean, right?" Grillby didn't respond. "it's like... i find it hard to, uh, say things that aren't jokes. if that makes sense? i'm used to just... laughing everything off. even when it's not....well. what i'm trying to say is, i'm sorry, and i didn't mean to. uh. hurt your feelings. it was a really shitty thing to say." Pause. "i'm probably making this worse, aren't i?" He asked, laughing humorlessly.

Grillby hesitated before shaking his head.

".............................You're.............a very strange skeleton," Grillby said slowly.

Sans, having learned his lesson, stopped himself from saying the first stupid pun that came to mind. Instead, he stood stock still, taking in the gentle warmth seeping from Grillby and his open door, the soft breeze, the flurry of snowflakes glinting in the falsified sunlight of the Underground.

.......Oh. It was snowing.

"hey, uh, i didn't mean to keep you out here in the cold so long," Sans mumbled, slipping Grillby's hand off his shoulder. "thanks for--"

"Would you like to come inside?"

"uh." Sans froze. Where the hell did _that_ come from? "sure? that sounds nice, actually. hey, maybe we can sit down and you can tell me all about that old flame of yours."

"..................I changed my mind. You're staying out here," Grillby replied, but despite his mock sternness, the smile on his face was genuine.

**Author's Note:**

> ............scold out here, let me in.


End file.
